CONGRATULATIONS to our students who are representing HCCSA in their extracurricular activities. This past Saturday, October 18th, we had bookend victories showcasing our team members’ hard work, discipline and commitment to excellence in Cross Country and Certamen competitions.
CROSS COUNTRY: Coach Toby Thurman
At the TAPPS State Finals this past Saturday in Waco,Texas our team showed impressive results with 11th grader Caroline Janssen winning the State Championship. Caroline is our first individual state champion in cross country. Our boys team won the state team championship in 2003. Our current boys’ team came in 5th in the state this weekend with the entire team averaging a full two minutes faster per person than last year. Along with Caroline, Graham Bremer finished 9th overall and both athletes were named to the 2008 All-State Team. Congratulations team! We are proud of you!
Cross Country Team:Caroline Janssen, Graham Bremer, Josh Anchors, Stephen Hudec, Kyle Sullivan, Stephen Webster, Patrick Sullivan, Megan Thurman, Ashlee Mora
CERTAMEN TEAM: Coach Erin Valdez
While our athletes were competing with their bodies, our Certamen Teams were competing with their minds at the Cursader Classic Certamen Tournament held at the St. Andrews upper school. The Intermediate Team won an exciting and hard-fought final round against Kealing and Westlake High Schools to win the tournament. They have won this tournament two years in a row. Our Middle School Team placed an impressive sixth out of 18 teams.
Certamen means “struggle” or “competition” in Latin and students compete all around the country in these quiz-bowl style of tournaments. The three member teams buzz in to answer questions covering Latin, Greek mythology, and Roman history to name a few categories. Congratulations to our students who competed!
Intermediate Team: Aidan Aannestad, Jesse Jasek, Kyndal Payne, Mitchel Janssen
Middle School Team: Thomas Ebner, Jonathan Mitchell, StevenBaker, Laura Mahaney, Jack Horton, Stephen Banks, Chloe Policke, Lindy Martin, Olivia Dahl, Nathan Brown, Matthew Roberston, Courtney Boorman
GO KNIGHTS!
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Congratulations to Beth Fionda, HCCSA Alumnae, Class of 2006. 
Hear from HCCSA Alumni
We love hearing from our alumni as to their progress once leaving HCCSA. Below you will hear from some of our recent grads about the advantages they have experienced because of their training at Hill Country. Thanks for your comments, graduates, keep sending them in!
Alexis Hutton - Class of 2008
“I made a 98 on my speech and when I received my grade back from my teacher she informed me that the Speech Department at A&M wanted to use my speech as an example to the undergraduate and graduate students. They also made copies of my speech outline to hand out to the students. I know that Hill Country prepared me extremely well through all the speeches I was assigned throughout my high school years. I also think that Hill Country developed me to become not only a confident speaker but also a confident writer. I have also noticed that in my Communications class the rest of the students are struggling since they were not properly taught how to give speeches in high school. I definitely feel like I am a step ahead of the class by graduating from Hill Country!”
Lianne Schomaker - Class of 2007
I’m in an Introduction to Western Theater class, and let me tell you my teacher is quite eccentric. But, thanks to Hill Country, I have read, acted or discussed six out of the eleven plays we are reading. Also, in my Philosophy class, we were discussing whether man was basically good or evil. My teacher believes that man is evil in order to survive. She asked if we thought evil was connected with survival and I began to talk about “The Lord of the Flies”. We then had a long discussion concerning that book. So, I thought I would share and let you know; yes Lianne Schomaker did learn something and is using her HCCSA knowledge in college.
Ryan Holt Class - of 2003
One of Hill Country’s greatest assets is its unique educational framework. By training students in the classical model of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, the school develops students who think critically. This methodology teaches students to craft arguments in defense of their values, a necessity in a world that is increasingly antagonistic toward those who ascribe to absolute truth. The preparation I received in logic, debate, rhetoric, and Bible classes equipped me to survive the rigorous educational experiences of college and law school. I understand now how to frame convincing arguments and am grateful for the contributions of my instructors at HCCSA.
University of South Carolina School of Law
Class of 2009